Merchant Success Story: Oak Professional Maintenance Services

Paul Karr has been taking care of his neighbors’ lawns for well over thirty years. During his early days in the business, Paul would ride his bike over to a few of his neighbors’ houses and service their lawns after school. While studying Plant & Soil Science at Southern Illinois University in 1980, Paul decided to start his own business and make lawn care his chosen career. “I thought my neighborhood could use a service like Oak Professional Maintenance,” said Paul.

The business has grown since Paul’s high school days, but Oak Professional Maintenance is still a small service company. “Most of our customers have been with us since the beginning and now we’re taking care of their children’s homes.” Paul enjoys working closely with his customers and building lasting relationships with them. Most weeks he is with the crew on every property they maintain.

Paul and his team understand the importance of supporting other local businesses. They purchase all of their lawn mowers from Highway Equipment in Oak Lawn, IL and continue to go there for service if there is an issue they can’t fix themselves. They also have a long standing relationship with their local STIHL Dealer, Blue Island Equipment Rentals in Alsip, IL. All of the company’s hand held equipment, backpack blowers, edgers, trimmers, and hedge trimmers are purchased from Ed and Steve down the street at BI Equipment. “We believe it is important to buy locally because these guys will take care of you like family if you are ever in a bind, and it’s nice to do business with the same guys you spend your weekends with,” Paul adds.

In this video, Paul talks about why he chooses STIHL equipment for his lawn care business.